news about cheap fares and airlines from travel search engine Trabber

International Airlines Group, the parent group of British Airways, claims to have secured around 330 jobs after announcing a buyer for bmi Regional, the Aberdeen-based subsidiary of the airline it recently acquired.

IAG said it has signed a binding agreement to sell bmi Regional to a Scottish consortium, Sector Aviation Holdings, for £8m. The sale includes all bmi Regional’s fixed assets and long-term liabilities, including owned and operating lease aircraft. Bmi Regional operates scheduled services from seven English and Scottish airports as well as a handful of northern European destinations.

source: Guardian.co.uk

In hindsight, filling an 804-ft.-long, 15-story-tall airship with a highly flammable gas might not have been the safest way to fly across the Atlantic Ocean.

But in the 1930s, hydrogen-filled dirigibles, first developed by the Germans, were the fastest way to travel between America and Europe.

The airship era came to an abrupt and fiery end May 6, 1937, with the sudden explosion of the LZ 129 Hindenburg as it attempted to dock at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station in southern New Jersey with 97 people aboard.

Thirty-six people died ” 13 passengers, 22 crew members and one person working on the ground.

source: nydailynews.com

Most travel agencies in China have suspended tours to the Philippines amidst escalating tension in the South China Sea, Chinese state media said.

The agencies would also ”’adopt precautionary measures to ensure safety of their clients'” now in the Philippines’, Xinhua news agency said.

The two countries have been locked in a stand-off in disputed waters at the Scarborough Shoal since 8 April.

source: bbc.co.uk

Airline group Air France-KLM has reported a loss for the first three months of the year, following higher fuel costs and a drop in cargo traffic.

Its first-quarter net loss was 368m euros ($483m;£299m), almost the same as a year before, although revenue rose 6% to 5.6bn euros.

Higher workforce costs because of a 2011 pay rise also affected profits.

source: bbc.co.uk

All Germanwings flights between Germany and Austria will in future also bear an Austrian OS flight number. The airlines’ codesharing is part of their strategy to further connect the services offered by both brands in order to create added benefits to the clients of both airlines.

source: traveldailynews.com

Low fare carrier bmibaby is set to close later this year, threatening the loss of hundreds of jobs and the ending of its flights.

The carrier transferred to International Airlines Group, the owners of British Airways, last month, but consultations have now started with unions about its closure in September.

With bmi Regional, bmibaby transferred to International Airlines Group ownership on completion of the purchase from Lufthansa. IAG has consistently said that bmibaby and bmi Regional are not part of its long-term plans.

source: Press Association

The woman at the centre of a ‘too fat to fly’ controversy has announced that she is suing Southwest Airlines, who refused to allow her on a flight in April 2011.

New Orleans resident Kenlie Tiggeman is taking on the airlines controversial ”Customers of Size” policy which requires passengers to buy a second seat if they can’t fit between the 17-inch wide armrests.

In her quest to seek an injunction against the Dallas headquartered carrier, Tiggeman alleges that Southwest ignored her ”constitutional rights” and is involved in ”discriminatory actions towards obese customers”.

source: Dailymail.co.uk

Ryanair, the Ireland-based budget airline, has announced an addition to its service to Munich, Germany, from London Stansted Airport.

The airline is offering additional flight from London Stansted Airport to Munich for the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) Champions League final to be played on May 19, 2012, between English club, Chelsea, and German club, Bayern Munich, at the Allianz Arena in Munich.

source: travel-news.co.uk

Abu Dhabi-based airline Etihad has quietly acquired 2.987 per cent of Aer Lingus‘s shares over the past couple of months.

Aer Lingus last night confirmed it was in discussions with Etihad in relation to reciprocal code-sharing arrangements. The two airlines are also investigating the possibility of joint procurement opportunities.

Aer Lingus said Etihad had given an undertaking it does not intend to increase its shareholding pending the outcome of these discussions. Aer Lingus said: “‘There is no certainty as to the outcome of these discussions.’”

source: irishtimes.com

Delta Air Lines is buying a refinery in a novel — and some say risky — attempt to slice $300 million a year from its escalating jet fuel bill.

The airline said Monday that it is buying the refinery near Philadelphia for $150 million from Phillips 66, a refining company being spun off from ConocoPhillips. The refinery has struggled to make money, and ConocoPhillips planned to shut it down if it couldn’t find a buyer.

Fuel is the largest and most volatile expense for the major airlines. They paid an average of $2.86 a gallon for jet fuel last year, up from $2.09 in 2007, according to statistics from the Bureau of Transportation.

source: businessweek.com